I love to play games with perspective. At the beginning of February, I decided  to counter all the gloom and doom reports by perceiving every present I received, as a symbol of good things to come. Boy, did I get tested. It took three service calls to convince my furnace that it wasn’t an air conditioner. With that out of the way, I discovered that my name and some Chinese characters clicked through to...

You will need a heavy pot you can put in the oven. If it doesn’t have a lid, you can use tinfoil. Even if you have never cooked, you can make this! Check to see if you have most of these spices: cinnamon, turmeric, cayenne pepper, coriander, cardamon, ginger. Sweet potatoes, or yams, at least three good sized ones Carrots, four to six Something green, peas, green beans; frozen works (1 cup? 2? you decide?) Olive...